Vermin

Not so sweet home

I pushed open the door. Silence awaited me. Perhaps no one was in. I went to shut the door behind me, when a small body crushed into my legs. My knees buckled but I smiled down at my little brother. He tried to pull the bag of me, but the loss of food these past weeks had damaged his strength and his to thin arms couldn't take the weight. I scooped him up into my arms, hugging him tightly.
"Were you okay?" I asked. He nodded.
"I went to get our water." He pointed a small finger over to a pot in the corner. It wasn't the cleanest, but Elfie always woke early to reach the pump before anyone else.
"Good boy." I ruffled his already messy blond hair.
"Is mummy asleep?" I asked. He nodded, pointing towards the only other room in the house, were me, Elfie and my mother Serena slept.
I laid the rabbits on the table, skinned and cut them in a few minutes; tossing them in the pot. I gave a loud knock on the bedroom door, that would wake her up. I chucked the remaining heads and feet in the sack, taking Elfie's hand.
"Come on, let's see if anyone wants this." I said, gesturing to the bag.
We walked down the street, hand in hand. It wouldn't be long until we found a beggar, who would be grateful for any kind of food. We turned down a narrow ally way, where the poorest among us lived. Sure enough, a man sat in filthy rags, in even worse condition than mine. He turned slowly towards us, his eyes betrayed his fate. He was starving, starving to death. But who here wasn't? I tossed him the sac with a small smile. I didn't dare go any closer, not when I had Elfie so near. Starvation did horrible things to people. Some went as far as killing their neighbours. And then they would eat well then that night. I lifted Elfie onto my hip. He was too light. He needed food in him, and very soon. I walked swiftly down the streets. My shoes now tipped with the sewage of other people's waste.
I pushed open our door. Serena was sitting at our table, hands supporting her head, glazing out the broken windows.
"What can you do with that?" I asked coldly, tossing her the skins. If she noticed my cool tone, she didn't show it. She just set about investigating the skins.
"New shoes for you, maybe a water skin." She sounded defeated, almost bored as she wrote down a note on a small piece of paper. My mother was the only person in the village who could read and write well. She wasn't born here, she grew up in Tiyrin. Where she was educated and taught to be a proper, good girl. Until one day she was wondering through the woods, and she found my father hunting. They met several times after that, until Serena tried to introduce him to her parents. They refused him entry, and disowned her on the spot. And so my mother ended up here. Living out her last few days in poverty, partner dead, shot by the woods guards, and her fifteen year old daughter left to support the family. I swallowed the rage building up in my stomach. If only she tried. Maybe we would been better off.
I peered into pot, the rabbit strips seemed done; I was no chef, but anyway, I doubt a chef could of done anything interesting with a couple of rabbits. We sat down to eat, me keeping one eye on Elfie as he shovelled the meat down his throat. My mother bent her head over her dish, silently swallowing.

Through the hole in the roof, I could see the stars shining brightly. Elfie was nestled in the crook of my arm, his leg hanging out the rag we called a blanket. The moon had just reached its peak in the sky, when I finally drifted of to sleep.